(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to a holder for a box of staples, or for a supply of loose carpet tacks, nails, screws, or the like fasteners and for other relatively small, discrete, magnetizable items used somewhat continuously in the performance of some activity. More specifically, this invention relates to the construction of such a holder, and its manner of use by a carpet installer or other person in the construction trade.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
When carpeting is being installed over wooden flooring, it is conventional to staple the edges of the carpet pad to the floor. This is accomplished by using an automatic staple gun which has been loaded previously with a line of staples. Staples, as is conventional, are provided in cardboard boxes and are arranged in such boxes in multiple rows of lines of staples superposed one above the other.
It is usual for a carpet installer to carry one or more boxes of staples in his tool box, along with other tools, e.g., in addition to the automatic staple gun, hammers, pliers, carpet knives, etc. In transporting the tool box around from place-to-place, the cardboard boxes containing the staples are jostled around in the tool box by the tools and become damaged, i.e., the cardboard boxes are torn. With further and continued jostling, the boxes may finally tear apart. As a result, the lines of staples are no longer confined by the box in which they are supplied and become scattered all over the tool box. Quite disadvantageously, when this happens, the staple lines are easily broken into loose staples or partial lines of varying lengths. And, the loose staples or partial lines are scattered throughout the tool box. As a result, there is much wastage of staples due to the fact that a carpet installer does not want to load the staple gun with partial lines of staples of varying length. To load a staple gun with a single partial line of staples means having to load the staple gun more often. On the other hand, to try to load a staple gun with what amounts to a full line of staples by assembling different lengths of broken lines of staples is time consuming and aggravating. These partial lines are scattered over the inside of the tool box and must be searched out by the carpet installer, by moving tools aside, or removing such entirely from the tool box in an effort to retrieve and use the partial lines of staples. Seldom can partial lines of staples be found that when loaded provide the length equivalent to an unbroken line, as supplied. Thus, the staple gun must either be loaded with partial lines that are less than the length equivalent to an unbroken line, or certain partial lines must be purposely broken and used, in part, to provide such a length. The loose staples, or very short partial lines, are not used at all. Thus, the carpet installer's job is made somewhat more time consuming as a result of having, in some cases, to load the staple gun with one or more partial lines which may or may not be equivalent in length to an unbroken line of staples, as initially supplied. Further, the overall cost of the installation is somewhat greater because of the greater time spent by the installer, the less efficient use made of his time, and the wastage of staples.
Carpet installers and other persons in the construction trade also have need for other fasteners than staples at times, e.g., carpet tacks, nails, screws and the like. These are supplied, in general, in loose fashion in a container, e.g., a plastic or cardboard box. The carpet tacks in the supply container are oriented in random fashion, the sharp points sometimes being upwardly disposed and providing potential for injury. When the carpet installer reaches into the box for a tack or two and encounters the sharp point of a tack, this may penetrate underneath his fingernail or otherwise puncture his finger. Thus, the result may be need for at least a band-aid or some manner of bandage to stop bleeding. And, in some cases, such injury may necessitate, or at least make desirable, a tetanus shot as a preventive measure against such disease. Such a puncture wound, moreover, always has the potential for infection and should not be treated lightly.
Furthermore, in some cases, and with some containers, as the supply of carpet tacks is used up during installation of a carpet, retrieving the carpet tacks from the container becomes somewhat more difficult. This results from the fact that the remaining supply of carpet tacks in the container is always located nearer the bottom of the box, and more out of reach of one's fingers as the supply of tacks are used up during installation. In some cases, the tradesperson may just simply pour a supply of tacks out from the container onto the floor or other work area so that such will be readily accessible, as needed. This, however, is an undesirable practice as any such tacks poured out and not used must then be picked up and put back into the container. Moreover, at times, stray tacks are overlooked and do not get picked up, resulting in the potential for injury in the event someone later steps on the tack.
Heretofore others have disclosed the concept of using permanent magnets as temporary holders, and in combination with various supporting means, for a variety of items and purposes. Exemplary of this prior art are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,452,400; 2,999,621; 3,298,579; 4,058,209; and 4,325,504. In general, such inventions provide a person with ready access to one or more small items, or a continuing supply thereof, that are to be used from time-to-time in the performance of some activity by that person.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,452,400 is directed to a holder for hair pins which comprises a cup-shaped receptacle and a member for supporting the same on the shoulder of a patron in a beauty parlor. A tubular-shaped magnet is disposed along the inside wall of the receptacle, to which hair pins attach themselves and, because such are magnetizable, to each other. Thus, the supply of hair pins can be provided close to an operator's hand and can be removed individually by the operator from the receptacle, as desired. Such a holder, however, does not meet the requirements of Applicant's invention. The holder is not suitable at all for storage of a box of staples. And, without a top closure, neither is such a holder suitable for a supply of carpet tacks, or providing ready access thereto, as disclosed in this application.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,999,621, there is disclosed a foldable tackle box which can be carried on a fisherman's belt. The box comprises a plurality of tackle holding trays hinged together so that the trays can be progressively unfolded to an open position or folded to a closed position. Hooks, lures and other articles which contain some iron material are held in orderly arrangement in the tackle box, until desired to be used, by magnets. These magnets are provided in sheet form and are attached to the bottoms of rectilinear tray units which are hinged together to be foldable from a generally flat open position to a superposed face-to-face position in forming the box. A leaf tray which is hinged to one of the rectilinear tray units is folded into and contained within the box formed by the two rectilinear tray units. Thus, such a box could not be used at all to hold a box of staples as set forth by Applicant's invention disclosed herein. Neither could it be used to hold a supply of loose carpet tacks and to separate out from that supply a plurality of tacks for ready access, as contemplated by this invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,298,579 discloses a combined tee holder and ball marker which can be carried on a golfer's belt. The face of the supporting body of the tee holder and ball marker includes therein a magnet suitable for detachably holding a metallic, disk-shaped, golf ball marker. The supporting body is solid except for the cylindrical apertures provided at each end thereof for location of a golf tee. Thus, the body provides no means for holding a box of staples or a supply of loose carpet tacks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,209 discloses a paper-clip dispenser which has an upwardly open receptacle with a hole in its bottom through which a stem carrying a magnet passes. When the receptacle is lifted off the top of a desk or other supporting surface the stem falls under its own weight or with the aid of a spring to bring the magnet at its upper end into a collection of paper clips at the bottom of the dispenser. When the dispenser is again placed upon the surface of a table or desk, the upper end of the stem is displaced upwardly to carry paper clips through the opening in the receptacle enabling them to be drawn off the magnet one at a time as required by the user. There is disclosed by the patentee a number of earlier, somewhat similar, prior art devices in which the paper clips are brought to the magnet by shaking the container or turning it over. Such a dispenser as contemplated by the patentee could not be used by a carpet installer to hold a box of staples for loading a staple gun. Neither is there a magnet located on the outside surface thereof for temporarily holding a line of staples or a plurality of loose carpet tacks. Moreover, neither does the prior art inventions disclosed by the patentee fulfill the requirements of the invention disclosed herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,504 discloses a magnetic device adapted to be worn on the arm or wrist of a carpenter for holding nails and the like. The device includes a contractible bracelet having a magnet supported externally on it. Thus, when a user such as a carpenter wears such a device on his wrist, the device can be used to hold a supply of nails and the like for immediate availability at the point of use. Nevertheless, the construction of the device is not box-like, and it could not hold a box of staples for loading a staple gun. Neither does the device provide means whereby a plurality of carpet tacks can be separated from a larger supply thereof, making such tacks readily available for use as and when needed.
Although all such magnetic devices as disclosed above are satisfactory for the purposes for which they are intended, none fully meet the requirements of this invention, as discussed above.